REVIEW: Rival Sons – Great Western Valkyrie (2014)

folderRIVAL SONS – Great Western Valkyrie (2014 Earache)

From Long Beach, California, here are the Rival Sons!  They have come to save hard rock.  Gene Simmons is a fan, so let’s check ’em out.  Great Western Valkyrie is their fourth album, but until last year I’d never heard of them.

Rival Sons are groove.  They are old fashioned.  I hear early influences from as far and wide as Sammy Hagar and soul rock.  “Electric Man” exemplifies this.  If the guitar player were the flashy type, you could mistake this for a new Chickenfoot composition.  Radio loves this kind of song right now.  It has vibes of the Trews and Royal Blood; the groove of bands like Death From Above 1969 but with a bluesy singing voice.  They apply a distortion and reverb to the lead vocal, which does sound cool but strikes me as a bit gimmicky.

I found the second track, “Good Luck” to be a bit dull.  Rival Sons seem to have psychedelic rock influences too, which isn’t really my bag, baby.  “Secret” features singing Jay Buchanan doing his best Robert Plant blues voice, and it’s another ferociously grooving track.  The riff is similar to “High Time” by Leadfoot, and the groove recalls “How Many More Times” from Led Zeppelin I.  “Let me tell you a secret, and I know you’re gonna keep it!” screams Buchanan over a killer bass groove.  Then “Play the Fool” utilizes a simple, stop-and-start rock riff, and a wicked time change.  “Good Things” has a dusky nightclub feel.  This is the song on which I’ll step out and take a pee.  It’s still playing when I get back, because it’s almost six minutes long.

Track 6 is “When the Levee Breaks”…Err, I mean the single “Open My Eyes”.  Sounds suspiciously like Zeppelin there.  You may have heard this one on the radio (I have).  It’s a great track, but undeniably based entirely upon Led Zeppelin.  The echo on the drums is lifted directly from Bonham and there are even acoustic breaks.  Back in the 1980’s there was a band called Kingdom Come that got raked over the coals for copping some Zep influences and milking it, but that’s nothing compared to “Open My Eyes”.  It’s a Zeppelin rip pure and simple!  That’s fine…enough time has passed that nobody cares anymore (plus Zeppelin ripped off everybody else).

“Rich and Poor” slows the pace, bringing us back to the psychedelic 60’s.  If the Doors had a different singer, maybe this is how they would sound.  I don’t particularly like the Doors, so onto the next one, “Belle Starr”. This song goes from fast to slow sections…just when I thought they were givin’ ‘er again, they slowed it down.  I’m just itching for some rock again.  Oh, there it goes!  This track is almost grungy, especially with that rolling bass underneath recalling Soundgarden.  I hear Rush influences too.  I’m not 100% sold on “Belle Starr”.  Not yet, anyway.  Led Zeppelin is all over “Where I’ve Been” too, in an epic quality.  Finally “Destination on Course” closes the album on a distinctly bluesy note.  Singer Buchanan really blows the doors off, and the angelic backing vocals have me forgetting that “LZ” band for a change.  The bluesy guitar solo is icing on the cake — just awesome.  On a track like this, Rival Sons establish their own sound.

Great Western Valkyrie is an album I look forward to checking out more in the future.  I think it has potential.  I know there are bonus tracks on other editions, which I have not investigated.  If I end up liking the band enough, I will check them out.

3.5/5 stars

 

1. “Electric Man” (Take You to the Sugar Shack) 3:20
2. “Good Luck” (It’s Going to Hurt Right Now) 3:18
3. “Secret” (Just Bring Me a Jar Full of Shine) 4:41
4. “Play the Fool” (The Way That Girls Talk) 3:18
5. “Good Things” (Boy with a Bomb in His Jacket) 5:56
6. “Open My Eyes” (Folding Like a Jack Knife) 3:56
7. “Rich and the Poor” (Her Teeth Bound by Braces) 5:15
8. “Belle Starr” (The Gem Inside Sparkles Yet) 4:35
9. “Where I’ve Been” (The Habit Wasn’t Cheap) 6:18
10. “Destination on Course” (Slipped from the Rail) 7:06

26 comments

  1. I like your spin on it Mike. Even though you only had it for a few days,you got into the meat and potatoes of the thing with some background info and comparisons!
    The only thing is and I agree with you in total is Its a slow grower of a album. It was like the first time i listened to it it was ..?????…Hahahaha and I got when it was released back in June! So it had a ton of time to wrap around my noggin thus finishing in my top 5!
    Let me know if you get those extended editions …..
    Should have bumped up to a 4 I say ! Hahahaha….

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    1. I think when you hear a band that has obvious influences, it takes several listens to get your head around it. I hear a lot of Zeppelin here. I love Zeppelin. I want to try to hear more Rival Sons in it, next time!

      Sounds like Head Down is the next album I need.

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  4. A very fair assessment of this record, Mike. My initial reaction to them was based on skepticism (I wasn’t buying all the hype in Classic Rock about them being saviors of rock & roll), but then this album hit me and it became one of my favorite 2014 releases. I have a feeling you’ll be playing it again one day and have a similar reaction, increasing your rating to at least a 4/5.

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    1. Thanks Rich. I think it’s possible. But I definitely want to check out their earlier records too.

      I don’t mind a retro-type band, but I go for personality…Rival Sons have some personality, and I want to hear more of it.

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  5. Rival Sons are one of my favourite bands right now. Well, favourite new bands, that is. I think this album is a masterpiece, just like the ones before it – Pressure & Time and Head Down.
    I did review this one myself and gave it a 9/10. If I had reviewed their old albums I would have given them 9’s as well.

    RIVAL SONS – Great Western Valkyrie

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  6. This is a cool review. Sounds like a whole lotta Zep, but if you can get this band out from under their influences later on, then right on.

    I love Zeppelin as much as the next guy (though probably not as much as Rich ;) ) but you were balanced enough to hit it “It’s a Zeppelin rip pure and simple! That’s fine…enough time has passed that nobody cares anymore (plus Zeppelin ripped off everybody else).” I’m not certain no one cares anymore, given the fervour towards that band every time they fart, these days, but it’s likely true that a lot of the young kids may not be getting the references.

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  7. I enjoyed your take on this and I do like this LP but Pressure & Time is the one of theirs I love; I find it more varied than this one. Got tickets to see them in March which should be good, I need to grow my face fuzz and buy an old-time suit!

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  8. If you’re wanting to hear their personality Pressure & Time and Head Down might just appeal to you a little more. Mr 1537 makes a very good point about Pressure & Time, too.

    That said, I can’t offer any comment on this one. I forgot all about it until reading Deke’s post!

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  9. your gimmicky comment is idiotic. They record with real vintage gear because they are trying to create that vibe not for one song, but that’s who they are and frankly I’m glad. So much of what is out now is 150 tracks of productions and tricks that cater to the ADD society who needs a new sound effect coming at them every 10 seconds to keep their attention. Just enjoy the fact that these are guys are setting up a few mics into some of the best gear studios can pull out of the closet and they deliver great songs that they can actually reproduce live with backing tracks…hey, there’s a concept. If you can appreciate that you shouldn’t be reviewing music…you know..music???

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  10. also, STOP comparing them to Led Zeppelin just because the drums are open mic’d and there’s space. Go back and read the reviews when Zep was playing…the critics killed them…but somehow now their the greatest thing ever. Have you ever hear them live? I love Zep but Jay Buchanan can hit EVERY note on the album live, Plant couldn’t do that a lot of the time. But I don’t even compare the two, just enjoy the band without having to pigeon hole them. Basically your saying here’s this band, but we don’t really validate them because I heard something similar before. The album has potential…Geez.. the album kicks ass so just get past yourself and get on board. How about this for a review…”Hey everyone, in this day and age of laptops and samples, finally a band just plugs in and records to tape and here it is…enjoy some great rock with soul and vibe and enjoy these guys laying it out there while not pitch correcting and time aligning everything. AND, when you see them live they’ll sound like what you heard on your iPod, how refreshing. Rival Sons should be applauded and you should buy the CD”.

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    1. Hi Bryan, I know it has been a few years. We were just discussing this review the other day and I thought, “I wonder what happened to that guy who left the rude comments and never showed up again to read the responses.” I hope you’re doing well. You asked me if I’ve ever seen Rival Sons live? But then never showed up to get the answer. I do like your review and would give you a 7/10. Just like I gave Rival Sons. Hope you’re still alive Bry-dog.

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